Air Transport

The FAA reauthorization bill introduced Feb. 3 by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Penn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will put the FAA in charge of demonstrating remote-tower technologies at seven airports, in a pilot program that would be launched within 6 months of the bill’s passage.

Airbus has benefited from the nine-month head start its A320neo program has over Boeing’s 737 MAX, grabbing 67% of orders for next-generation narrowbodies—but Boeing says the order gap is only temporary.

Hainan Airlines is gearing up to launch a second Canadian flight to Calgary, the home base of its interline partner, WestJet Airlines.

SkyWest Inc. had no serious discussions with Alaska Air about adding more flying before the Seattle-based airline told investors in January that it plans to order up to 30 76-seat jets for its Horizon Air subsidiary, Skywest executives said on their Feb. 4 earnings call.

SeaPort Airlines filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection in Oregon on Feb. 5, and the airline blamed a national pilot shortage for some of its troubles.

X-planes, UAVs and a Cold War footing, this year’s budget request has it all. And Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s Dan Katz analyze President Barack Obama’s last chance to make change.

Planned with an abundance of caution after the many missteps of the 787-8 and 747-8 programs, Boeing’s 737 MAX schedule currently calls for first deliveries in the third quarter of 2017, but that could change.

After an initial communications misstep that resulted in market jitters, Boeing offers an explanation for the dip in 2016 deliveries, to be followed by a big 2017 upswing.

Bill to overhaul the FAA wins Natca endorsement; Defense experts outline the next president’s national security choices; and NASA official urges space companies to respond faster to consumer demands.

Robotic systems must operate using the same actions we would expect from the judgment and, ultimately, the ethics of a pilot.

During upcoming talks, Japan may offer U.S. airlines more access to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, a situation Delta Air Lines is not applauding.

Here are some major milestones in Delta’s history since Richard Anderson stepped into the top role.

Middle Eastern airlines are now carrying more international traffic than North American carriers, according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Singapore Airlines (SIA) saw its net profit rise 35% to S$275 million (U.S.$196 million) for the three months through Dec. 31, helped by lower fuel costs and a significant performance improvement from some of its subsidiary carriers.

The Latvian government and investor Ralf-Dieter Montag-Girmes signed a final agreement to increase Air Baltic’s capital by €132 million ($147.8 million).

China Eastern Airlines plans to accelerate fleet expansion in the five years to 2020, despite the slowing national economy.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union representing 19,000 U.S. air traffic controllers, is backing Rep. Bill Shuster’s (R-Penn.) proposal to separate air traffic control (ATC) from FAA.

Qatar Airways has signed a preliminary agreement with Alisarda, the holding company that controls Italy’s second-largest airline, Meridiana.

Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson is retiring from his position on ...

With more than 50% of its aerospace revenues derived from aftermarket services, Rolls-Royce has stepped up its bid for a greater share of the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services segment by launching an aftermarket services program designed for airlines operating aircraft in the later life-cycle stages.

Airbus comes under attack from environmental groups for weakening Europe’s position on the stringency level for the first global fuel-efficiency standard for aircraft.

American Airlines will operate more than 220 peak day departures this summer from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), but while the new schedule will provide more connectivity, the carrier will not turn the airport into a traditional hub.

For the first time in Southwest Airlines’ history, its pilots union picketed in protest of the airline’s failure to strike a new labor pact.

U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Penn.) has proposed legislation that would remove the operation and management of U.S. air traffic control (ATC) from FAA.

Air Vanuatu has confirmed it will continue operating flights out of Vanuatu’s main airport even though most Australasian carriers have now suspended service there due to concerns over its runway condition.